Taco shells, and the related tortilla "chips," have traditionally been prepared by forming and frying tortillas in a vat or skillet of oil. More recently, in response to the public's increased awareness of the benefits to be obtained from eating foods lower in fat, manufacturers have begun offering tortilla chips that are baked rather than fried. A natural extension of this health consciousness is to likewise prepare tacos using a baked, oil-free taco shell.
Baked taco shells may be prepared by draping tortillas over two adjacent wires of the type of wire rack present in a standard kitchen oven and then baking, during which time the tortillas initially become limp and hang down, and then eventually become crisp. However, this method produces a malformed taco shell, and one in which the opening of the taco shell through which various finely cut foods are placed is partially or completely closed due to an excessive curling of the tortilla that takes place during the baking process. In addition, removal of the baked taco shells from the oven is extremely awkward, causing breakage of the shells and burning of one's hands.
A number of utensils or apparatus have been proposed in the past that serve to form tortillas into the characteristic "V"-shaped taco shell during a cooking process. Examples are shown in U.S. Pat. Nos. 3,511,172 to Jones (1970) and 3,693,537 to Johnson and Henderson (1972). However, all of these devices are designed and intended to be used to produce fried as opposed to baked taco shells.
Other utensils, similar in shape to the invention presented here, have been designed as taco holders for the filling and serving of tacos. An example is shown in U.S. Pat. No. 4,004,501 to Guerrero (1977). However, Guerrero's device is not intended to act as a form upon which to prepare baked taco shells from tortillas, nor would it be suitable for this purpose since the height of the trough walls that comprise Guerrero's device is not great enough to permit a tortilla to hang in the free manner necessary to allow for creation of the traditional "V"-shaped taco shell shape during a baking process. In addition, the device does not contain perforations to allow for a uniform and rapid forming and baking of tortillas into taco shells.
U.S. Pat. No. 4,974,502 to Murdock (1990) describes a combination apparatus for "baking" and serving fried taco shells in which the shells are placed between parallel, horizontal rods in an upright position for their reheating and filling. Again, this device is not intended nor would it be suitable for preparing oil-free baked taco shells since excessive curling of a tortilla would occur should an attempt be made to use it for that purpose. Indeed, the design even allows for the possibility of some curling during the reheating of the pre-formed fried taco shells for which its use is intended. In addition, its design makes its construction more complex than is necessary and it is awkward to clean.